Instead of dumbing down Donkey Kong for the Wii Remote-waggling masses, Metroid Prime developer Retro Studios ramped up the difficulty in Donkey Kong Country Returns, producing one of the toughest platformers of the millennium.

While you watch your 1-Up supply plummet to zero, at least you'll have some gorgeous set pieces -- jungles, beaches and temples -- to take in, peppered with the mine carts, barrels and bananas of Donkey Kong Country's past. Like New Super Mario Brothers Wii, Returns' retro gameplay with a modern makeover proves to be a recipe for success.

The release of a Mario game is a monumental moment in the life of any Nintendo console. Super Mario Galaxy lived up to that reputation. It cleverly mixed physics and brilliant design to create a series of environments that always felt fresh and exciting. This is one of those incredible titles that anyone – Wii owner or not – should find time to play. Seriously, next time your friends harp on your decision to buy a Wii, challenge them to play Super Mario Galaxy. Before they know it, they'll want to go out and buy one themselves.

The Metroid Prime Trilogy is more than just three great games on a single disc. Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes have been upgraded with widescreen presentation, an achievement system and, perhaps most importantly, excellent Wii pointer controls, bringing them up to date with Metroid Prime 3. Although the games were released over a five year period, and across two consoles, the Metroid Trilogy presents them like one epic saga of a bounty hunter and her struggle against space piracy, hungry alien creatures and giant, radioactive brains. This is the best way to experience the Prime series, period.

When it was first released, Super Smash Bros. looked like an enjoyable bit of fan service; toss a bunch of Nintendo heroes in a game and let them push each other around. But what nobody really counted on was just how freakishly deep the fighting mechanics would be. And that's why gamers demanded this franchise return time and time again. Brawl is the biggest Smash yet, with a monster cast that – for the first time – is opened to non-Nintendo characters. Finally, Mario and Sonic could truly go head-to-head and settle some 20-year-old playground arguments.

It might seem blasphemous, but it it wouldn't be too tough to argue that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is better than Super Mario 64. What the title doesn't necessarily do in originality or innovation, it more than makes up for it in creative spirit and a true evolution of the 3D platforming/adventure genre.

With level design alone, Galaxy 2 is a textbook example of taking simple ideas and expanding upon them in remarkable ways. Even more impressive is how new concepts are regularly introduced in an intuitive, logical manner. You're never lost as a player. Even better is that Nintendo never dumbs down the difficulty, offering an adventure that is accessible to the inexperienced and experienced alike.

Whatever Mario on Wii U looks like, it's sure going to have a tough time beating this game. Super Mario Galaxy 2 will always be remembered as one of the greatest games in a generation.

While it's certainly true that Wii is suffering in its last year of life, it's equally true that the system has a considerable number of great games to play. Games that are already in stores. If you haven't had a chance to at least try most of these titles, you owe it to yourself to give them a shot. There's a reason they're on our list.

That said, maybe there were a couple titles we missed. Not everything could make the cut. This list has also changed considerably since last year. Your feedback is welcome - sound off in the comments below.